Best material for effective homemade masks to curb pandemic spread identified

Scientists have experimented with non-medical grade masks, and found that well-fitted ones made from stitching two layers of quilting cotton fabric are the most effective in stopping the spread of cough and sneeze droplets, whereas bandana-style coverings “had little to no effect.” The study, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, used a laser to map out the paths of droplets as they were coughed and sneezed out of a mannequin head, and examined how different mask designs and materials altered these paths.

While the use of face masks is widely recommended by public health officials during the Covid-19 pandemic, relatively few specific guidelines pertaining to mask materials and designs are available, according to the researchers from Florida Atlantic University in the US.

“While there are a few prior studies on the effectiveness of medical-grade equipment, we don’t have a lot of information about the cloth-based coverings that are most accessible to us at present,” said Siddhartha Verma, a co-author of the study.

“Our hope is that the visualisations presented in the paper help convey the rationale behind the recommendations for social distancing and using face masks,” Verma said.